For someone as busy as Ms. Bleiler, three days at home during peak competition season is virtually unheard of. For most of the winter, her home is an overstuffed travel bag, a cramped plane seat, an endless train of hotel rooms. However, this was no normal season for Gretchen—it was a post Olympic silver medal season. Never has there been a more deserved time for her to take some moments for herself and wrangle her life back from the clutches of competition snowboarding. We caught up with Gretchen for just such a rare three days as she chilled out back home in Aspen, rode with friends, and breathed in that fresh mountain air. It don’t get much better than that!

The beginning of this season was the first time that I really felt burned out on competing—it was so odd, I’d never truly experienced anything like it before. I realized that the Olympic qualifiers, the Olympics, and even the years leading up to that point all took more out of me than I had thought.  I decided I needed to make my own schedule this year and ended up at the Baker Banked Slalom, shooting with Oakley in Whistler, and then riding at home in Colorado with a different crew. After that I found myself out of the rut and really motivated.

Watching girls ride inspires me the most. When I see a girl throw a trick that I've never tried, I automatically feel competitive and know it’s possible. That’s why the progression in women's snowboarding is exploding right now—more and more women are trying new tricks, and once it’s been done then everyone’s in! It’s really all mental.

 

I feel like I am constantly working with fear. As a professional snowboarder, it's your job to be the best, which means that every single day you have to push past your comfort zone. Scaring yourself everyday is just in the cards.

 

My favorite thing is the smell of the air when I step off the plane in Aspen—there’s nothing like it. I love being home and I wish I could ride there more often. Maybe next year I will. Anyway, because I usually have a limited time at home, I have a lot to take care of—bills, mail, going through boxes of product, and then cleaning so that I can fit the new product somewhere. Most nights I end up at my Mom’s hanging out and eating one of their world famous dinners. Both my mom and step dad are great cooks, which is why I’m probably not—I’ve been spoiled.

Well, it’s mandatory that I can see and feel the trick in my head before trying it—then I know it’s within my range and time to try it. When I’m on the mountain and ready to go, the most important elements are commitment and confidence.

I got really excited about talking about our environment. After the Olympics I knew it was time to start supporting causes I believed in. The environment has always been important to me, and this year you could see the effects of global warming everywhere, so I got involved with stopglobalwarming.org. It’s a virtual march to raise awareness—check it out and sign yourself up to march!

I go on surf vacations. For the past three years, I’ve gone to Costa Rica.  I love the warm water, surfing and of course working on the tan poolside while drinking a piña colada.